Cultural expert: 'Royal palace belongs to all siblings' in Zulu royal family feud

A University of Johannesburg-based cultural expert, Professor Gugu Mazibuko, has urged both King Misuzulu kaZwelithini and his siblings to find one another since the Kwakhangelamankengane Royal Palace belongs to all of them.

The expert was answering a question about whether the king or the siblings should leave the palace as part of the solution.

Professor Mazibuko said the king and his siblings have no option but to make peace since all of them should have equal access to their birth home.

She said among the commoners, if there are disputes, the elders will advise the married son to build his wife a house outside the family yard for the sake of peace, however, that is not the case for the royal family.

“In a traditional setup like the Zulu kingdom, all siblings have equal rights and access to the palace irrespective of their public or marital status, therefore, I am happy that the elders as we have seen, have intervened to find an amicable solution on how the siblings will live together in harmony,” said Mazibuko.

She reminded the public that like in all other families, disputes always occur, adding that the royal family is not immune from such problems.

Prince Thulani Zulu, who was part of the elders that met with the king’s siblings on Tuesday, said the meeting went well, however, he refused to give details of their discussion. The prince asked the media and the public to allow the royal family to deal with the matter internally.

“This is not a public matter and I think even if we have finished the reconciliation process, there will be no reason to tell the media the outcome because you will see for yourself that there is peace,” said Zulu.

The king has been at loggerheads with his siblings, particularly his sisters. However, it remains unclear what is the cause of the standoff.

Over the weekend, their dispute became a subject of public discussion following the leaking of an audio recording of a bitter altercation between the king and his sister, Princess Nomkhosi.

Sources within the royal family said some of his siblings never preferred him for the position of the king and wanted one of the younger brothers instead.

The statement issued by the royal family after a leaked verbal altercation suggested that it was a ploy to discredit the king ahead of the kingship case that is expected to sit next month in the Supreme Court of Appeal.

The king is challenged by both his patriarchal father Prince Mbonisi Zulu and his half-brother Prince Simakade Zulu.

Simakade argued that by being the late King Zwelithini’s first-born son irrespective of out of wedlock, he is eligible for the position, while Mbonisi is said to be vouching for another late king’s son Prince Buzabazi from KwaDlamahlahla Royal Palace.

It is not yet clear where Mbonisi is basing his argument for this since Buzabazi’s mother, Queen Buhle Mathe-Zulu, has no royal blood and her lobola was not paid by the Zulu nation, which determines which queen must bear the heir to the throne.

willem.phungula@inl.co.za